On August 6, when Sun Chuanting and his party arrived at Tongguan with an army of 100,000 troops, they saw a row of black cannons in red.
Climbing the city wall and looking down from above, you will see a beautiful scenery right in front of you. The gentle mountain breeze seems to have removed some of the heat.
The army was repairing, but Sun Chuanting looked at the thick artillery.
"Duke Xian, this Zhu Yixi is really quite capable. He actually became a cannon."
Bai Guangen was amazed. He had seen the red artillery in Beijing and Ningyuan City and knew its power. Now that he saw it, he felt joy from the bottom of his heart.
"This artillery is so huge, more than ten times larger than the French cannon in the military camp, and it must be quite powerful."
Gao Jie murmured while touching it.
"That's right!" Bai Guangen said quite proudly: "Even though there are only six gates in the city, thousands of troops and horses can't get through such a big bubble."
"Now, Tongguan is completely safe, and we can leave the city with peace of mind."
"That's right!" Sun Chuanting stroked his beard and said, "Although Tongguan is dangerous, it is possible to break it. With the artillery here, I can also mobilize more troops to encircle and suppress the intruders."
Immediately, he stopped talking and looked outside the pass.
Outside Tongguan, it is within Henan Province.
The Central Plains province, which was originally a fertile land, was now in a mess, with corpses and weeds everywhere, and no human habitation could be seen.
"It's really possible to break into a rooster for a thousand miles without a cockcrow."
Sun Chuanting thought this was the result of his robbery, and couldn't help but sneered: "Thieves are thieves, and they can never change their habits."
These words were a bit destructive, and the generals behind him looked a little embarrassed, but after all the battles, they regained their color after a while.
However, Sun Chuanting was a strong person and did not want to explain anything about his slip of the tongue.
“The train camp is spectacular!”
Luo Shangwen, who had served as deputy general for many years, quickly turned around and changed the subject.
Everyone hurriedly turned their heads and looked.
I saw more than 20,000 chariots marching side by side for dozens of miles, constantly moving forward under the pull of soldiers, mules and horses.
The chariot is not only loaded with food, but also armor, weapons, and artillery.
As a powerful weapon against thieves, artillery has always been trusted for its effectiveness.
Bai Guangen raised his head and said proudly: "Even if it's a trespassing horse camp, we have to stay away when we encounter it."
Everyone praised, even Gao Jie had to agree.
This chariot is about more than ten feet long. When connected end to end, it can form a wooden wall, which is a great obstacle to the cavalry.
Moreover, the chariot is not only always equipped with food, but also has many artillery and weapons, which can be used to attack on the spot and respond quickly.
All the generals came from rogue bandits, so they naturally understand their power.
In front of the train camp, it seemed that even Gao Jie's cavalry had lost their grace.
"Ruxiang County has been occupied."
Sun Chuanting said in a deep voice: "This county is bounded by Hangu to the east, Qinling Mountains to the south, Tongguan to the west, and the Yellow River to the north. It is an important transportation thoroughfare. Who is willing to capture it for our army?"
"I will go where I will in the end!"
At this time, Niu Hucheng handed over his hand, opened his eyes, and stood up: "Luxiang is a small town, and I am willing to be the vanguard."
"good!"
Sun Chuanting nodded and said: "We will take General Niu as the vanguard, Lu Guangzu as the deputy vanguard, Gao Jie as the middle army, Wang Ding, Guan Fumin as the successor, and I will lead the main force and the train battalion to go out together."
"As you command!"
All the generals agree, they have no objections to these arrangements, and they dare not have any objections.
Niu Chenghu did not dare to delay, so he directly picked up ten thousand troops and headed straight for Nuxiang County.
Langxiang, originally an important county town that traveled from south to north, is now in a state of disarray and no longer as prosperous as before.
"There are about three thousand people in the city!" Niu Chenghu squinted his eyes. With many years of war experience, he could see the reality of the entire county at a glance.
The lazy guards, thin linen clothes, and damaged weapons all indicate that the troops and horses in front of them are really not good enough.
"send troops--"
Vigorous horn sounds sounded instantly, and a large number of soldiers, mixed with cavalry, rushed directly.
Caught off guard, the gate of Nexiang County was captured, and the defenders had to retreat with less than half of their number.
After taking the city, Niu Chenghu hurriedly sent people to report the good news to the rear: "The intruders are now weak. Have they not recovered from last year?"
Immediately, Niu Chenghu became suspicious. After resting for half a day, he continued to move forward.
In Lingbao, Shaanzhou, for several days, Niu Chenghu showed his might and destroyed several cities, not far from Luoyang.
As the messengers reporting victory came one after another, everyone in Tongguan looked happy.
Even Sun Chuanting, no matter how cautious he was, couldn't help but show a hint of joy.
After a series of battles and victories, morale increased greatly, which can be said to be a good start.
"Go and report victory to the imperial court!"
Sun Chuanting said with a smile.
He has long known the emperor's character, so he will naturally report happy events continuously. In this way, he can also get rewards from the court and reduce the pressure on him.
…
However, as the teams continued to gather, Zhu Yixi had to go east.
Fortunately, the tunnel was dug well and it was completed before he left.
He finally had something to worry about.
In addition, in the plague camp, the patients will eventually die.
This also shows that the plague situation in Xi'an Prefecture has greatly improved.
Putting aside his worries, he led a hundred personal guards and marched forward along with the team transporting grain and grass.
"Damn it, there's another war!"
"When is the end-"
The people in Xi'an were very uncomfortable because their families were forced to carry food, and they prayed day and night.
Moreover, those wealthy gentry unabashedly lit firecrackers to celebrate, seemingly celebrating the plague, but in reality, they were celebrating the passing of Sun Chuanting.
Zhu Yixi couldn't help but shake her head. They are really a group of people who are ignorant of their own interests and have short-sighted eyes.
Did they really think that Li Zicheng would really let them go because he made up a story about King Chuang who refused to pay for food and treated scholars kindly?
Although I don’t know how Li Zicheng dealt with these gentry in Xi’an in history, the city of Beijing has left a name in the history of torture and extortion of money.
Lintong, Weinan, Huayin, almost walking along the Yellow River, you will reach Tongguan.
When we arrived at Tongguan, it was already the tenth day of August.
"Duxian has been out of confinement for two days?"
Zhu Yixi was suddenly shocked. Logically speaking, Sun Chuanting was only a few days early to rectify the army. How could he do it with just a few days?
"That's right!"
Guardsman Li Jizu made it clear: "Based on the distance of the governor, I am afraid that we will soon reach Nexiang County."
"Do you have a map?"
Soon, a simple map appeared in front of me.
Nuxiang, Shaanzhou, and after that, Luoyang.
"How could it be so smooth?" Zhu Yixi didn't believe it, and his intuition told him that Li Zicheng was not that simple.